Good food in Amsterdam

What are some foods and restaurants that I must try while I'm in Amsterdam? I'm not looking for the world's best restaurant or anything too fancy, but I'd like to try what the city and country are known for. I've heard all about the red light district, bars, clubs, etc, but I've not heard much about the food, so any help would be appreciated!

By the way, wheelchair accessibility to restaurants is important as my mum is in a wheelchair and will be with me part of the time. I don't know what the wheelchair regulations in the country are like, but thought that would be worth mentioning.

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10 Answers

I'm not gonna give you restaurant tips but tips for small/cheap bites. Here are the two cents from a local. (Locals don't eat pancakes ;)

* The best Flemish fries you eat at Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx , near Spui (Voetboogsteeg 33).* The best Surinam food you eat at Roopram Roti near Albert Cuyp Markt (Van Woustraat 37). Order a Roti Chicken Special. Definitely a winner!* The best thai food you eat at Bird near Nieuwmarkt (Zeedijk 77) but this is not very good accessible with a wheelchair. Should you do go, choose the small version of The Bird (the snackbar) and not the restaurant which is across the snackbar.* Another hidden tasting-gem is Small World Catering near Haarlemmerstraat (Binnen Oranjestraat 14). Perfect for lunch, great fresh juices. The focaccia with chicken/avocado/red onion/mayonaise/rocket/olive oil is my favorite there.

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Amazing recommendations, Beb! I can't wait to go back to Amsterdam and try all these places! By the way, I'm a community manager here and I've helped you highlight the places in your answer on a map! In the future, you can do this yourself as you answer a question by simply typing the @-symbol followed by the name of the place. Take a look at your map next to your answer! :)
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Amsterdam is known for a variety of perfectly hot, puffy, pancake-style pastries and cakes. They are served both as sweets and as savory entrees. They are often called 'Pannenkoeken' or 'Poffertjes'. The best place to indulge in the best of both worlds for this Netherland delicacy is at The Pancake Bakery . It's a tiny little underground restaurant, where you will sit in a softly glowing room of dark brick walls as your pancakes are served to you on old wooden tables. They often have seasonal specialties- when I went last November, I had a massive pancakes topped with caramelized apples, cinammon, butterscotch, and poached pears. Don't let the name fool you, though; these are not traditional, American-style, IHOP-esque pancakes- they have the delicateness of a crepe but are dense and sturdy enough to house the various fillings that you can choose. I hope you enjoy this restaurant- it was a treat to visit, I'm happy I didn't miss it!

Ahhh lots of good places to eat - a must would be Café De Klos (website), they do the best ribs I have ever eaten, or if you are extra hungry the leg of lamb is amazing too. Go for a drink in Wynand Fockink (website) for its old world charm and vast variety of liqueur (my choice would have to be raspberry as it tastes like jam)

For a chilled out atmosphere (but to be avoided if you are allergic to peanuts) Bierfabriek (website) has great chicken and unlimited peanuts to enjoy with their home brewed beer, at the end of the night the floor is covered with peanut shells, which is all encouraged by the waiters, so don't be tidy and leave a pile of shells on the table! (you will see what I mean if you go there)

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These sound great, Louise! Wish I had these suggestions when I was in Amsterdam :) By the way, I'm a community manager here and I've helped you highlight the places in your answer on a map! In the future, you can do this yourself as you answer a question by simply typing the @-symbol followed by the name of the place. Take a look at your map next to your answer! :)
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There are a few good restaurants, but be sure to check De Kas , Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3 1097 DE Amsterdam restaurantdekas.nl it's a bit outside the centre but easy to reach, from Amsterdam Centraal railway station, take tram no. 9 (stop Hogeweg). It's set inside a huge greenhouse and the food is delicious.

Dear Sam, Nice that you are hoping over to visit Amsterdam. There are many many nice eateries without being fancy and most important easy accesible for your mum. I can recommend to visit this website which is developped by the Amsterdam Town Hall

I don't remember the name of a single restaurant that I ate at in Amsterdam, but we stayed mainly in the Canal Ring area and every restaurant we tried was good. The Dutch love Indonesian food, so those places are good. Do try the cheese - there are a million different types of Gouda and they are all amazing. I like the Graas Kaas, but it's seasonal. I'd just avoid chains as they are average and seek out something that looks interesting. Luckily, all Dutch speak amazing English, so it's easy to communicate. Have fun! (And watch out for bicycles!)

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This is like me on so many holidays I've been on -- I don't remember the names of anything! I will definitely have cheese and will also watch out for bikes. I still haven't gotten the sound of bike bells and horns ringing out of my head since my last trip to Amsterdam. Thank you for the advice, Tiffany!
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Amsterdam is full of wonderful and unique places to eat. Like many major European cities, there is a seemingly limitless amount of doner/kabob/schwarma stands and restaurants, and this is a fact worth celebrating. I have yet to try one that I did not absolutely love.

Another quick, inexpensive, though freshly prepared and somewhat nutritious is Wok to Walk. There are a few locations all over the city centre. This place serves Asian-inspired noodle dishes, stir-frys and rice bowls. I must eat here once on every visit to Amsterdam.

You already got a lot of answers and some of them are indeed really good, although not always very Dutch ;)

If you really want to try a Dutch dish, you should go to Moeders. This is a very nice, one-of-a-kind restaurant with typical Dutch food. I don't know in what season you're going to Amsterdam, but besides the pancakes (pannenkoeken), also the 'poffertjes' are a treat! They usually sell them in the streets from November on, during the winter season.

Very easy and very Dutch is also a snack called Bitterballen. This is somehing you can order when having a beer and almost all places will have it on their menu (no fancy restaurants). It's a fried meatball, but nothing you've every tasted, lots of tourists say. :)

Another Dutch thing is 'eating from the wall'. It's junkfood, like McDonalds or Burger King, but it's typically Dutch and I hearded you don't have it abroad: Automatiek Febo B.V.. You throw in some money and open the little window where your snack is laying and grab it. You could try the Kroket.

For lunch you could go to Eetsalon Van Dobben near Rembrandtplein. This is very easy, but very very Dutch and a classic one! Make sure you order a sandwich 'Halfom', it's with meat as well.